Finally, the rap on reps
Tally of scribe, helmer credits puts CAA on top
That, of course, would be finding the right agent.
When looking for the perfect agency, a key indicator is success rate.
Variety analyzed the major studio films released in 2001 to see which percenteries were responsible for getting the most screenwriters and directors onto projects that got made -- and which agencies succeeded in getting projects made to which clients were committed.
CAA led both categories -- dominating the helmers' race with 49 jobs for clients, nearly doubling the total of the runner-up.
And the rapid rise of younger shops UTA and Endeavor had a distinct impact on the marketplace.
UTA was No. 2 in both categories. While it was a distant second in the helmers' tally, it was a close runner-up in the writer numbers -- especially impressive for an agency that is relatively new and smaller.
Endeavor tied for fourth place in writers' jobs. But that still marks an achievement for a TV-oriented agency of modest size that dipped its toe in the movie biz only four years ago, and now reps such newcomers as Todd Field ("In the Bedroom") and Alexander Payne ("Election").
The tallies were drawn from the 154 films released last year by Disney, Fox, MGM, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros., DreamWorks, Miramax and New Line.
The first seven are MPAA signatories and the other three are the non-signatories with the most wide commercial releases last year. Of course, many agencies brokered deals with smaller distribs (Fox Searchlight, Sony Pictures Classics, USA Films, etc.) that are not reflected in these tallies.
The Writers Guild of America and the Directors Guild of America as well as the studios confirmed the final onscreen credits. (In the case of script credits, there are often scribes who contribute to scripts and are paid handsomely but are not credited; Variety's tallies, however, only reflect those given the credits onscreen.)
It also should be noted that the numbers here and in the chart refer to gigs. For example, Ridley Scott, who was with CAA at the time, accounted for two jobs last year ("Hannibal" and "Black Hawk Down"), so is counted twice.
Of course, the writer-director numbers are not the only gauge of an agency's effectiveness, but they are certainly useful indicators.
Creative Artists Agency finishes first in the 2001 directors' race, but finished it the way runners from Kenya usually finish the New York City Marathon -- so many hours ahead of the panting pack it's not even close.
The competition for the silver medal is distant but fierce. United Talent Agency has a wafer-thin edge over William Morris, by only one helming gig -- 26 to 25. International Creative Management is right on their heels, repping 24 jobs.
Endeavor repped eight director jobs in the 2001 studio movies surveyed. It's an obvious sore spot, but one that the shop's partners say they are keenly aware of and committed to strengthening. The Gersh Agency was close to that number, repping seven, while Broder Kurland Webb Uffner and Writers & Artists Agency each repped two.
The results are much more competitive in the fight for the most credited screenwriting jobs.
CAA and UTA nearly tie for first, with the former marking 42 jobs to UTA's 39 (in most cases, with several writers on each movie).
ICM's holdover clients (those who've left the shop but whose prior work counts as a commission for ICM) helped put it in third, leaving William Morris and Endeavor tied for fourth at 31 jobs apiece.
The results are particularly interesting when compared to prevailing opinion in the industry -- at least as measured by Variety.
Only last October, this newspaper asked dozens of top production execs and producers, off the record, to rate agencies as sources of material, for their acumen in repping clients, and for dealmaking prowess and civility.
In that poll, CAA came out ahead of all others, which is consistent with the 2001 director-writer statistics. But in the opinion poll, CAA was closely followed by Endeavor, UTA, William Morris and ICM, in that order. The rankings were close -- which means that, at least for directing jobs, the opinion was at a variance with CAA's standing, which is clearly vastly superior in booking those jobs.
UTA has made vast gains in the directorial area, representing a slew of hot, in-demand helmers and writer-directors.
Yet perhaps the biggest discrepancy between industry perception and reality came with United Talent.
In last fall's opinion poll, one top studio exec reflected the opinion of many when he said that, in terms of scripts, "it's rare that they have the material, but when they do, it's good." Given the numbers, it's apparently not that rare.
Endeavor was also highly praised by execs last fall, finishing second in the opinion poll overall. It was hailed by dozens of studio execs in last fall's survey as "best at developing new writer clients," and 2001's movie results certainly indicate that the agency is impressive.
ICM, the opinion poll said, suffered from the perception that its lit shop had been reduced in size due to defections to WMA. Still, it came in third in writers, and its director slate was impressive.
WMA had to cede the scripting bronze to ICM. But Morris can savor the fact that it now houses many of the writers who helped boost the numbers for ICM.
Obviously, a lot can happen in a year. So it will be interesting to see if the industry's perceptions change about these tenpercenteries -- or if their 2002 film tallies will change.
